FAQs

Water Rates

Sewer Rates

Garbage Rates

You must apply for water service in person at City Hall. A photo ID is required. Tenants are required to pay a $125 deposit. Water deposits are refunded upon termination of service less any amount due and are not transferable to another address.

Applicants providing proof of ownership will not be charged a deposit. Documents which would provide proof of ownership include: a deed for the property, an agreement for sale (which is usually signed when earnest money is paid), the signed settlement statement, or a personal contract for sale.

Water bills can be mailed to or paid in person at City Hall, 401 E. Third St.

A 24-hour drop box is located in the east parking lot at City Hall and is conveniently placed so that you may drive up and drop off the payment without ever leaving your vehicle.

State Bank of Toulon Kewanee Branch, 635 Tenney St., also accepts regular water bill payments until two business days before the due date. Penalty bills, red tags, or reconnection fees cannot be paid at State Bank of Toulon and must be paid at City Hall.

Electronic payment by automatic withdrawal from your checking or savings account is also available by completing an application at City Hall. 

You can also set up one-time or reoccurring payments from a credit card or bank account through Payment Service Network on their website or calling 1-877-885-7968. You must know your account number to utilize these options. It can be found on your bill.

Be aware that your bill will be higher if, during that billing period, you watered landscaping, had overnight guests, filled a pool, had leaks from a water heater or water softener or, the most common culprit, had a "leaking" toilet.

To test for a leaking toilet, put food coloring in the back of the toilet tank and wait 20 minutes without flushing. If colored water appears in the bowl of the toilet, the toilet is using water unnecessarily and needs adjusted or repaired. If the food color shows that there is not a toilet leak in your home, call our office to request a leak check to help you to determine if the leak is in your service line or elsewhere in your home.

 

No. All billings for water and sanitary sewer charges are based solely on volume of water used.

To see if you qualify for water relief, call or stop in to City Hall and speak to a clerk. If you qualify, they will walk you through the steps to receive the adjustment.

If you have a water filter system, check the filter for blockage. Also, check for frozen or broken pipes. If none of these conditions exist, call the water department for service.

During normal business hours, call City Hall. If this is an emergency, after hours or on weekends, call the non-emergency number (309) 853-1911 at the Police Department and they will contact the appropriate personnel.

If you are having sewer back up into you home, please call City Hall. We may be able to dispatch a crew to check the City side of the sewer. We will then let you know if it is the City side that we need to take care of or if it is the homeowner side, for which you will need to contact a plumber.

Your pickup day is based on your address. If you are unsure, please contact the Public Works Clerk to find out your day. Please have your cart out the night before or by 6am on the day of.

If you believe your trash was missed, contact City Hall. Please keep in mind that the trash routes may be ran differently each week and it may be picked up at a later time of the day. All routes should be complete by 3pm unless otherwise posted.

It is possible that it was not picked up due to one of these reasons:

• Trash cart is overweight.
• Trash cart lid is not fully closed.
• Trash cart is facing the wrong direction.
• Trash was placed for collection in boxes.
• Miscellaneous trash bags were placed on the ground.  Trash can only be collected from the cart.  Bags with Excess Bags stickers can be taken to the Transfer Station at no extra cost.
• Furniture, water heaters, stoves, washers, dryers, etc. are not collected with regular pickup and a large item sticker must be purchased from City Hall.

Trash collection is limited to 150 pounds per trash cart. If your trash containers are too heavy, or the trash container does not fully close, they may not get emptied. Carts over this weight can damage the truck and/or cause trash to spill onto the ground/street.

Each household with an active water account is charged for one trash cart. Trash can only be picked up from the authorized City trash cart.  Please contact City Hall if you would like to pay additional trash pickup fees to obtain an additional trash cart.

Excess Bag stickers are $1.00 each and can be purchased at any of the following locations: City Hall, Becks (both locations), Farm King, JoJo's, CVS, Shell, Sullivan Foods, and Wal-Mart.

If you still have the old yellow $0.50 stickers, they can still be used, you would just need to attach two yellow stickers to each bag.

You may then take the bags directly to the Transfer Station at no extra cost. The automated trash trucks will not pick up the extra bags, even if they have stickers on them. 

Fill the paint can with enough kitty litter or sand until any liquid is absorbed and cans are dry.  Once cans are dry, you can dispose of the can with your regular garbage pickup.

Large items may be picked up curbside for a cost of $10.00 per item.  Large item stickers can be purchased at City Hall and pickup is scheduled for collection every Monday (excluding holidays).  This can include items such as mattresses, box springs, couches, recliners, laundry machines, appliances (free of freon), and large rolls of carpet.  

Another option is to take the large items to the City Transfer Station.

Coupons are given once a year on residents' water bills to each address in either April or May.  These coupons are redeemable for either a free dump fee (up to 1500 pounds) at the Transfer Station or for two large item pickup stickers.

Your participation will make this program a success! 

Place in Transparent Blue or Clear Bag - Glass, Cans/Metals, Plastics, Newsprint, White Paper, Chipboard (All recyclable items can be bagged together)
Recyclable:	What Can be Recycled:	What Can’t be Recycled:	Preparation:
Glass	Glass Containers: Clear, brown, green or blue Juice bottles Beer, wine, or liquor bottles Food jars	Light bulbs Crystal or mirrors Coffee mugs, plates, Pyrex glass, ceramics Drinking or canning glassware Window glass	Rinse well Remove lids Labels may remain Only glass from food containers allowed.   NO BROKEN GLASS!
Cans/Metals	Aluminum, steel, tin cans of all types Beverage, soup, fruit & vegetable cans Aluminum foil & pie pans	Needles or other sharps or hazardous material containers	Rinse well Bend metal lids if sharp edges are exposed Labels may remain
Plastics #1— #5 & #7	#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7 plastic containers. Includes most milk, juice & most other beverage containers.	Plastic bags or wrap Styrofoam Oil, chemical, or other hazardous material containers Plastic tableware Melmac-type plastic	Rinse well Remove caps Flatten after rinsing
Newsprint	Newspapers & inserts	Paper towels and napkins	Keep paper dry
White Paper & other products	Magazines & catalogs Phone books Junk mail Office paper Envelopes, copy paper & mixed paper	Construction paper or bright colored paper	Remove paper clips, binder clips and other non-paper items
		Photographs
			Keep products dry
Chipboard	Cereal & tissue boxes	Wax covered chipboard	Flatten & tie with string or tape
	Shoe boxes	including milk cartons and
	Paper egg cartons	beverage boxes
	Toilet & paper towel tubes
	Beer and soda boxes
Cardboard boxes must be flattened and separated
Cardboard	Corrugated cardboard Includes almost any larger box corrugated material	Wax covered boxes	In a transparent blue bag OR Flattened and secured in the flattened position with string, paper tape or secured inside a larger corrugated cardboard box. Maximum size of bundle or box is 3 x 3 x 1 ft

 

Recycled items must be placed in clear or transparent blue bags. Cardboard does not have to be in bags but must be broken down and bundled together with string or twine. 

Many grocery stores, convenience stores, and online retailers have clear and blue bags available. The City of Kewanee cannot make exceptions to this rule as it is the rule of the company that accepts our recyclables. 

For most of the town, recycling is the same day as your garbage pickup (Tuesday through Thursday). Be sure to place all recycling away from your trash cart.

If you live North of Prospect St (but not ON Prospect St) and East of Main St (but not ON Main St), your recycling day is on Friday. 

Be sure to place all items out the night before your pickup day, or no later than 6am on pickup day. 

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency maintains a list of registered sites for electronics recycling.  The closest site to Kewanee is Eagle Enterprises in Galva.  The full list can be viewed here.  Collectors may charge a fee for premium services such as home pickup.

Please contact the Public Works Clerk if you believe your recycling was missed.

Curb-side landscape waste bag collection uses biodegradable, 2-ply Kraft paper bags purchased by the user at a retail store of their choice. To be collected by the City, users must attach a $1.00 City of Kewanee Excess Bag sticker to each landscape waste bag. City of Kewanee Excess Bag stickers may be purchased at City Hall, Beck Oil  (East 2nd St. and Tenney St.), Farm King, JoJo's Convenience Store, CVS Drug, Shell Express, Sullivan Foods, Walgreen's & Casey's. Landscape waste bags are picked up on Mondays only between the third Monday in March and the first Monday of December. If a holiday falls during a particular week, landscape waste will not be picked up that week and will be picked up on the following Monday. Bags should be set out on Sunday night. The number of landscape waste bags that may be set out for pickup is unlimited.

During the months of April, May, June, September, October and November, Wednesdays and Saturdays are designated burn days in the City, if conditions are favorable. Check back on this website, check the Fire Department or City Facebook pages, or call City Hall to get information regarding a burn day. Only dry landscape waste may be burned.

Bulk brush consists of brush and/or shrub trimmings, tree branches, or whole trees.

Bulk brush pickups are scheduled for Tuesdays each week throughout the year.

Per City Code, a pickup truck load of bulk brush is 2 cubic yards (3' by 3' by 6'). Tree branches & trunks cannot exceed 4" in diameter but may be split for pickup. Branches may not exceed 5' in length and must all be stacked going the same direction.

Bulk brush stickers are sold at City Hall and are $5 for a small load and $10 for a pickup truck load. Multiple stickers can be purchased. Once stickers are purchased, you will be placed on the schedule for pickup.

All bulk bush must be placed at the curb and will not be picked up in alleys. 

The Transfer Station is located at 194 Fischer Ave. It is just past the animal shelter.

The Transfer Station is open Monday-Friday from 7am to 3pm and closed from 11:00am to 11:30am for lunch. Saturday hours 9am to Noon and are available on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from April through September.

Transfer Station fees are assed by the weight of materials being disposed of.  There is a minimum charge of $10.00 for loads weighing 360 pounds or less.  NOTICE - all loads transported to the Transfer Station must be tarped.  Any person refusing or failing to comply with this requirement will be assessed a $50.00 fee in addition to other dumping charges, and may also be denied admittance to or use of the Transfer Station until such time as he is compliant with this requirement.

The Transfer Station accepts cash and check. 

Only on the property where the landscape waste was generated and the following criteria are followed:

1. Landscape material has dried, or is dry and will not result in excessive smoke.

2. No burning shall be conducted within 20 feet of any structure or combustible material, or directly under any tree limbs or wires.

3. Burn piles must be kept manageable by those attending to them and be less than 4 feet in height.

4. Ash resulting from the burning of landscape waste must be cooled by adding water and disposed.

5. Burning of grass clippings and weeds is prohibited.

6. All burn piles must be attended by a responsible person.

7. All fires must be extinguished and not be allowed to burn or continue to burn smoke after sunset.

8. Burning on public streets, alleys, highways, and public sidewalks is prohibited.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays, during the months of April, May, June, September, October and November, from 8:00 a.m. to sunset.

You can call 309-852-2611 and select option 6 after 8:00 a.m.

You can check the City of Kewanee website.

You can check the Fire Department or City of Kewanee Facebook page.

YES.  Even though it may be a Wednesday or Saturday during one of the defined burn months, you still need to check to verify if it's a burn day.

Why? The Chief of the Fire Department may prohibit burning on a defined burn day if any of the following conditions exist or may exist later in the day as determined by the National Weather Service forecast.

1. Wind speed exceeding 20 miles per hour, or less than 5 miles per hour.

2. Drought conditions which present an excessive risk for spreading of the open fire.

3. During a water shortage or other emergency.

4. If more than one-half inch of rain has fallen in the prior two days of the allowed burn day, which would result in heavy smoke.

5. An outdoor event of community wide interest.

6. If severe weather event is determined to be a possible safety concern as forecast by the National Weather Service.

• 2021 International Building Code.
• 2021 International Residential Code.
• 2021 International Property Maintenance Code.
• 2021 International Mechanical Code.
• 2017 National Electrical Code, or most recent version, this changes every two years.
• State of Illinois Plumbing Code.
• 2021 International Fire Code.

• Constructing or altering a structure. Structures includes buildings, houses, garage, all swimming pools over 24, or more, inches deep, storage shed, gazebo, yard barns, whether portable or not.
• Constructing an addition to a structure.
• Fences
• Changing the pitch on a roof.
• Installation of metallic siding on a building.
• Demolish or move a structure.
• Change the occupancy of a structure. For example changing an office building into a restaurant.

There is no licensing required for obtaining building permits. All work must be done in compliance with the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Residential Building Code, 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 International Fire, Illinois Accessibility Code and Kewanee Zoning Regulations.

The building permit can be found here.

• Replacing the roof covering of a building.
• Installation of non-metallic siding.
• Installation of a swimming pool less than 24 inches deep.
• Replacing an existing porch with another porch of the same size.
• Non-structural repairs and routine maintence to existing structures. This may be such items as replacing windows, replacing roof coverings, painting, etc.

• Installation of any new electrical wiring or equipment.
• Alterations to any electrical wiring or equipment.
• Additions to any electrical wiring or equipment.

Only licensed electricians may perform electrical work, with the exception that a person may perform electrical work at their residence. No matter who does the work, it all must be done in compliance with the 2014 National Electrical Code and Kewanee City Code.

The electrical permit can be found here.

• Installation of new piping or plumbing fixtures.
• Installation of new water and/or sanitary sewer service.
• Additions to existing piping or plumbing fixtures.
• Alterations to existing piping or plumbing fixtures.
• Any changes in piping to or from fixtures, or the removal, replacement, installation, or re-installation of piping or plumbing fixtures.

Only licensed plumbers may perform plumbing work, with the exception that a person may perform plumbing work at their residence. No matter who does the work, it all must be done in compliance with the State of Illinois Plumbing Code.

The plumbing permit can be found here.

• Installing new HVAC systems.
• Altering existing HVAC systems.
• Replacement of an existing HVAC system.

There are no licensing requirements for HVAC system installers. All work done must be in compliance with the 2012 International Mechanical Code.

The mechanical permit can be found here.

If you would like to file a complaint about another property (trash, cars, grass/weeds, unsafe conditions, etc.), please contact our Community Development Department by phone or email. Be sure to give the address or approximate location along with the reason. Our staff will check on the property and respond accordingly.

The City does not have the man power to monitor all the different social media pages scanning for concerns from our residents.  To make sure your concerns are heard/seen by the right people, it is best to simply call City Hall at to report your complaint.  Our front office clerks can direct you to the correct person to speak with regarding your concerns. 

Contact the Public Works clerk at City Hall by phone or email. The condition of the tree will be evaluated by City staff and appropriate action taken.

Initial billing services are provided by Professional Billing Services for rescue squad and ambulance services. Please contact PBS at 1-877-482-2461 with any questions or concerns about your ambulance bill. After 4 months, delinquent accounts are returned to the City for further action. For questions regarding older accounts, please contact the ambulance clerk. 

 

No. We ask that you send your payment to the address on your statement. Payment Billing Services holds all of the billing records and will be sure that payment in properly credited to your account. 

Call the Joint Utility Locating information for Excavators (JULIE) at 811 or 1-800-892-0123 and provide at least 48 hours advance notice. They will notify all member utilities, who will locate buried facilities in the area. This includes water, sewer, storm sewer, electrical, natural gas, phone and cable.

The most accurate way is to hire a surveyor and have them set pins. You can also look at our maps at City Hall. We can offer some suggestions to help you get a good idea where your lot lines are, but they are not as accurate as a survey.